Virginia (Katie) Blackwell BS’20 has a well-earned adventure ahead of her.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology in December from The University of Texas at Dallas, the summa cum laude graduate and lifelong resident of Plano, Texas, is packing up and heading northeast to begin her graduate education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Blackwell is one of six UT Dallas alumni selected for the 2021 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program. The highly competitive national program provides a stipend and tuition support for students pursuing graduate studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Blackwell said her work in the laboratory and as a student peer tutor for the supplemental instruction group were major formative experiences she had while at UT Dallas.
“Those were my two families — in the research building and the library,” she said. “The lab was like a second home to me; it was such a tight-knit environment. I love learning something entirely new, performed with techniques I have not seen before.”
She was first drawn to structural biochemistry while attending a faculty talk on cryo-electron microscopy, or cryo-EM, an advanced tool used to learn about cellular structures on the atomic level.
“I remember seeing my first protein structure via cryo-EM, and I immediately wanted to know more about how that worked,” Blackwell said. “That’s how I ended up seeking out Dr. Sheena D’Arcy.”
D’Arcy, an assistant professor of chemistry in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, described Blackwell as a self-starter with a natural aptitude for scientific research.
“In my laboratory she quickly became versed in the theoretical and practical aspects of protein biochemistry,” D’Arcy said. “Her results advanced our understanding of DNA packaging inside our cells. She is creative and inquisitive and will no doubt have a long and successful scientific career.”
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program is the nation’s oldest fellowship program that directly supports graduate students in various STEM fields. This year, 2,074 awards were offered from a pool of almost 13,000 applicants. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support: an annual stipend of $34,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000.
Blackwell’s philosophy about her academic career is grounded in the idea that research is an act of service — a common good for the people, paid for by the people.
“This is especially true in academia, where many projects are funded by federal grants,” she explained. “That’s extra personal for me, because my education was funded by federal and state grants, and I have the chance to show a return on that investment.”
Blackwell said UT Dallas provided a strong foundation on which to build a successful PhD application.
“The research I did for three years, up until the pandemic, gave me the chance to do internships and summer research, which gave me a breadth of experience and a taste of what the field is like,” she said.
Blackwell also traveled to present her research at regional and national conferences, and was a UT Dallas representative at the annual Texas Undergraduate Research Day at the Texas Capitol, where she presented her research to legislators in spring 2019.
Dr. Stephanie M. Taylor BS’06, assistant professor of instruction in the Department of Science/Mathematics Education, mentored Blackwell in her role as a supplemental instructor. Taylor described Blackwell as “a fantastic leader, a supportive group member, a great orator, accomplished writer and a brilliant scientist.”
“She, more than anyone else I have met, makes her dreams a reality,” Taylor said.
Blackwell believes her undergraduate career enabled her to face the challenges ahead.
“Everything I’ve done at UT Dallas has culminated in making me a better learner, a better researcher and a more empathetic person,” she said. “I feel the University helped me develop the attitude and confidence I have in approaching future challenges.”
In the biology program at MIT, Blackwell hopes to study selective autophagy. The term describes a cellular response to nutrient deprivation by distressed cells.
The NSF selected five other UT Dallas alumni as fellows:
Erik Chow BS’19 earned his degree in biomedical engineering. He is a second-year PhD student at Cornell University, where he studies the nature and function of the glycocalyx, a coating that surrounds some cells and bacteria, and potential ways to exploit the glycocalyx for biomedical applications.
Jonathan Madera BS’19, MS’20 majored in mechanical engineering at UT Dallas and is now in his first year of his PhD program at UT Austin. His research in surgical robotics focuses on using brain signals and haptic feedback to enhance training programs for novice surgeons.
Uyen Thy Nguyen BS’18 was a Diversity Scholar and biochemistry major at UT Dallas. She is now a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studies microbial interactions in the human skin microbiome.
Nundini Rawal BS’20 earned her degree in biomedical engineering. She will join the University of Michigan in fall 2021 as a master’s student in mechanical engineering. In the neurobionics lab, she will study and develop wearable robotic systems to improve human locomotion.
Maria Rivera BS’20 earned her degree in geosciences. She will join the Soil and Crop Sciences Section at Cornell University as an MS/PhD student in fall 2021. She will work to further research in biochar in the hopes of implementing it as a climate change mitigation tool.